


Call you when the party is over.

by softyjseo



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Angst, M/M, Major character death - Freeform, Mentions of Murder, alternative universe
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-07
Updated: 2019-01-07
Packaged: 2019-10-06 04:22:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,693
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17338499
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softyjseo/pseuds/softyjseo
Summary: ''Did you sleep well?''''No, I didn't.''''Why?''''Because you weren't there.''Johnny is stuck in Chicago, while Jaehyun waits for him in Seoul, all alone in their shared apartment, wishing for Johnny to come back home. Until, he doesn't.





	Call you when the party is over.

**Author's Note:**

> I was in an angsty mood, so this happened. Enjoy.

It was still dark out, the black sky enveloping Seoul like a blanket, only allowing light from the scarce amount of cars already driving on its roads. Shop owners arriving and slowly unlocking their stores, getting ready for yet another day.

Somewhere under that blanket, tucked away in the comfort of his apartment was Jung Jaehyun, wide awake and staring up at his ceiling, eyes fixated on a small spot they had missed during the painting process and never bothered to actually paint after that.

His phone was right next to him, the tunes of some Billie Eilish song Johnny had recommended him echoing through the room. The loud music wasn’t nearly to distract Jaehyun from his thoughts, but he could try.

Johnny. At the thought of him, Jaehyun felt his heart ache and simultaneously grow warm. It was confusing, leaving Jaehyun to push the feelings away, like he always did. It worked, for the most part. It wasn’t efficient, in any way, but that was okay.

As long as Jaehyun didn’t bother anyone and everyone around him was happy, Jaehyun was content. The costs of such a mindset, such a way of living, didn’t really matter. Jaehyun didn’t really matter.

Billie’s voice stopped to make way for Jaehyun’s annoying ringtone, the tune Johnny had chosen echoing through the bedroom. Even though Jaehyun mourned the loss of his distraction, he rushed to answer the phone.

It was quiet for a second, Jaehyun closing his eyes and relishing in Johnny’s breathing pattern. It was pure euphoria to his ears.

‘’Hey, love.’’ Jaehyun was close to tears by those simple but meaningful words, a greeting he hadn’t heard in _days_ finally filling his ears and soul again. It was as if he was recharging. Jaehyun felt the broken pieces of his heart fuse together again.

‘’Hey.’’ Jaehyun was breathless. The happiness he felt from just hearing Johnny’s voice was unexplainable, even to him. It had been a couple days since the older his last call, but to Jaehyun it felt like years.

‘’how are you, baby?’’ Jaehyun could tell Johnny was tired. It was seven am in Seoul, which meant it was only four in the afternoon in Chigago. Jaehyun frowned; Johnny sounded as if it was midnight.

‘’I’m good,’’ miserable, haven’t stopped crying. ‘’What about you?’’ Jaehyun lies his way through, hoping he could convince Johnny and not worry him.

Jaehyun’s feelings didn’t matter. And that was okay.

‘’Tired. Today has been rough.’’ Johnny wasn’t permitted to talk about what exactly had made his day rough, but Jaehyun could take a guess.

‘’Did you sleep well?’’ Jaehyun hadn’t slept properly ever since Johnny had left those many months ago. Johnny knew this, and yet he kept asking. As if he hoped for one day the answer to change.

Jaehyun wasn’t sure he could ever live up to that expectation till the day Johnny returned.

‘’No, I didn’t.’’ Johnny sighed and Jaehyun frowned. He didn’t mean to worry Johnny.

‘’Why?’’

‘’Because you weren’t there.’’ Jaehyun gasped at his own words, shaking his head at himself in the reflection of his mirror. He was seated up right, phone in his lap with Johnny on speaker. He hadn’t meant to say that and he wished he could take it back.

‘’Baby – you know I can’t come home quite yet.’’ Jaehyun felt the pieces of his heart break once more at how _devastated_ Johnny sounded. He had fucked up. This wasn’t good for the mission the older was on and Jaehyun had promised right before Johnny left to make this as easy on him as he could. Clearly, he wasn’t doing a very good job.

‘’I know. I just – miss you.’’ Jaehyun didn’t regret saying that. It was something, a small sentence, he always made sure to tell Johnny. The older had told him in one of their firsts phone calls that he needed to hear it sometimes, to keep him sane. Jaehyun found it ridiculously easy to perform that request; all he had to do was be honest.

‘’I’m sorry, baby.’’ The days without Johnny were slow. Jaehyun had a calendar on their front door, putting crosses on the days that had gone by. He was counting down the days till Johnny would return at last, and never depart again.

‘’It’s okay, I understand.’’ Jaehyun used to not have a job. Johnny made enough money for the both of them and Jaehyun was still in college when Johnny was paged to go on the mission. The older had missed Jaehyun’s graduation, and now he was working part time at a library to pass the time. He wanted to go full time, but that was sadly not a possibility. Jaehyun chose that library on purpose; he met Johnny there. So, working at another place wasn’t an option.

A sigh could be heard from the other end of the line and Jaehyun felt dread filling his stomach. He hated saying goodbye.

‘’I have to go now, baby.’’ Jaehyun felt the tears well up, his chest aching. He didn’t know when Johnny was going to call again. He spent most of his nights -Johnny always called at night or early in the morning- awake, waiting for a phone call. One time, Johnny went two weeks without calling and Jaehyun was sure he’d be greeted by police officers at his doorstep every single morning during that time.

It was scary, not knowing where Johnny was or what he was doing. But, Jaehyun knew Johnny loved his job. It didn’t matter what Jaehyun thought, he just wanted Johnny to be happy with whatever he did.

Jaehyun’s feelings didn’t matter.

‘’I figured.’’ Jaehyun didn’t mean to sound harsh, immediately whispering an apology into the phone. He could hear Johnny chuckle. Jaehyun knew he’d imprint that sound into his mind till the next time Johnny called again.

‘’I love you.’’

‘’I love you, too.’’ There was a click, a beep of finality. That was all it took for Jaehyun to start crying, Billie’s voice returning to sing her solemn and devastating words. It didn’t help Jaehyun’s state of mind, like at all, but it was _something._ A solace he desperately needed because his boyfriend was so far away. It felt as if though, to Jaehyun, the distance grew day by day.

That was false, of course it was. Johnny stayed in Chicago and Jaehyun didn’t move, either, but it felt as if though with ever passing day, Johnny became someone else. Someone Jaehyun didn’t know. Someone Jaehyun hadn’t fallen in love with.

But, Jaehyun’s feelings didn’t matter.

 

Jaehyun sighed, dropping his work-bag on the floor of the corridor, flicking the lights on at the same time as he toed his shoes off. The apartment was cold, winter rapidly approaching and since there was no one at home, Jaehyun was greeted by this scene on the daily basis.

‘’Honey, I’m home.’’ He whispered to absolutely no one, his voice echoing off the walls and painfully bouncing back to no one but himself.

He patted his way toward the kitchen, turning the coffee machine on to make brew himself some. The bags under his eyes had grown over the past week, worried about Johnny. At night, Jaehyun spent his time listening to music and desperately trying to stay awake, absolutely terrified he’d miss a phone call.

No one really visited Jaehyun. More often than not he visited his friends house, not wanting to be home any longer than he should have. Sometimes he’d go on walks at night, just to avoid the silence of their bedroom. Jaehyun had gotten so used to hearing Johnny’s breathing pattern at night, he hated having to sleep without it.

No one really visited him, so it was weird to hear the doorbell ring. Jaehyun stood up, placing his steaming mug of coffee on the counter. Three quick steps and he was at the front door, pulling it open to reveal two police officers.

Oh no.

Jaehyun had half the mind to not drop to the floor immediately. The officers introduced themselves as officer Kim and officer Park, their police hats held tightly against their chests.

‘’Can we maybe – come in, sir?’’ Jaehyun nodded, his mind flooding with all the possibilities as to _why_ they were here, at his house, standing at the front door with neutral looks on their faces.

Jaehyun offered them coffee, but they declined. Instead, they offered for Jaehyun to take a seat. Jaehyun knew exactly where this was going.

‘’We’re here to inform you about your boyfriend, sir. He gave you up as emergency contact if something ever happened to him while he was undercover.’’ Jaehyun felt the tears well up in his eyes, his hands starting to shake violently as he found the gaze of officer Park.

‘’What,’’ Jaehyun swallowed, ‘’What happened to him?’’ It was silent for a couple seconds, the two officers sharing a look before officer Kim opened his mouth.

‘’Seo Johnny was working undercover for a human trafficking business located in Chicago,’’ Jaehyun’s eyes widened. If these officers were telling Jaehyun what Johnny had been doing in the US, the things that could have happened to Johnny began to point at one thing and Jaehyun dreaded finding out.

‘’The reason why he was there was because they had started abducting and selling Korean transfer students. The US FBI offered to help us with the case. Mr. Seo seemed the perfect fit.’’ Johnny wasn’t an ordinary police officer. He was a detective, solved murder or missing cases mostly, so for him to get that promotion was amazing. Jaehyun was the one who told Johnny to do it, even though it didn’t feel right.

But, as always, Jaehyun’s feelings didn’t matter.

‘’Why are you telling me this?’’ Jaehyun’s voice was barely above a whisper and he could see officer Park straining to hear him. He did, in the end, because he squared up. Both of the officers bend down in a ninety degree bow, apologetic looks on their faces.

‘’Sir, we are sad and devastated to inform you that Seo Johnny was shot and killed at six am on the eleventh of December.’’

**Author's Note:**

> you can yell at me, if you want. 
> 
>  
> 
> [My Twitter](https://twitter.com/softyjseo)  
>    
>  [cc](https://curiouscat.me/softyjseo)  
> 


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